Xiaolin Showdown: The Emerald Phoenix Reborn
by Rynea
Summary: Rewriten version of XS: TEP - A story centered mostly around Clay, the Dragon of Earth and a new monk who's grandfather was once a Xiaolin Dragon. The powers of this new monk are the least explored, but considered the most dangerous...
1. The Emerald Phoenix

Fanfic: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Title: Emerald Phoenix

* * *

"I sense the Shen Gong Wu right around here!" Shouted an excited Dojo as they neared a forest somewhere in the United States. Probably Indiana or somewhere like that in the North. But anyways, getting back to the story…

"Which Shen Gong Wu are we looking for today, Dojo?" Kimiko asked as she finished applying her make-up.

"It's called the Emerald Phoenix," Began Dojo, as he came down with a smooth landing on the banks of a river. "It's said to give the user the ability to see into even the darkest places. Basically, it allows for temporary sight where you can't see. It sure beats the Falcon's Eye when it comes to night vision!"

"Sounds like somethin' handy fer Night Tag," Clay said as he slid off of Dojo's back onto the ground.

"Whatever, Clay," Raimundo scoffed, jumping to the ground. "I'd love to use that Wu to pull some midnight pranks!" A mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Let us not get distracted from the task that is by hand," said Omi, already in a tree and surveying the surrounding area.

"That's 'at hand,' Omi," Raimundo said, correcting the short, bald monk out of habit. Just then, Dojo, back in his gecko-size form, trembled all over. "Whoa! It's close, I can feel it! Let's find that Wu!"

That said, all four Dragons Warriors began searching the immediate area. Omi exploring the trees, Raimundo the shrubbery, Kimiko the ground, and Clay the river. After about an hour of searching, nothing had come up. The frustrated apprentices decided it was time to take a break and sat on the banks of the river.

"Well, now I know how a bloodhound feels after losin' th' trail…" Clay said, disappointed. The others added in their agreements and looked at Dojo.

"Well… Maybe it's farther down the river…?" Dojo offered to the four monks.

"Thanks for the directions, Xiaolin Losers!" Proclaimed the all-too familiar and annoying voice of Jack Spicer, as he flew down low enough to survey the monks, HeliPack whirring. "I guess I'll just go and find myself the Emerald Phoenix!"

"Put your Wu where you mouth is, boy!" Wuya scolded as she floated into view. "Quit yakking and get to tracking down the Phoenix!"

"All right, all right," said Jack in an attempt to reassure the paranoid ghost. "Geez, can you get any CRANKIER?!"

"Give me enough grief and I CAN!" Wuya yelled after Jack as she followed close behind him in pursuit of the Emerald Phoenix. But, during this time that Jack and Wuya had been arguing, Clay's 10-gallon hat had turned into a 10-gallon kite with the assistance of Jack's HeliPack, and began drifting through the woods.

"No, my hat!" Clay cried out, chasing it down.

"Clay! Get your Texas-sized butt back here!" Kimiko demanded of him, but he didn't hear her. His attention fully concentrated on catching his runaway hat.

"Let him be, Kimiko," Omi told her. "We can easily handle Jack Spicer without Clay's assistance!" And with that, the other three dragons set off after Jack and Wuya.

Getting back to Clay…

Clay had wandered farther into the woods than he had realized. By the time he was able to catch up with his hat the others were far out of sight.

"Gotcha, you rascal!" Clay gripped the brim of his hat firmly. After a quick inspection to make sure it wasn't harmed, he set it atop his head more securely than last time. This was when Clay realized that he didn't know where he was. "Um… This could be a problem…" He stated the obviousness of his dilemma. "Now I'm really wishin' I had Kimiko's PDA t' find my way back…"

"No one needs any high-tech gear to find their way out of a forest, stranger," came a voice from nearby. Startled, Clay took on a defensive position and looked about for the owner of the voice.

"Who's there?!" He demanded.

"Hey now, you don't need to worry about me," said what Clay registered as a female voice. A girl stepped out into view from among the surrounding trees. Clay took notice of her appearance: a simple black shirt and jeans, black tennis shoes crunched the gravely ground. Her dark brown hair back in a single braid, she had dark sunglasses on as well as a smile. She also had a necklace with a green pendant around her neck. In her right hand was a walking stick with a few carved decorations.

"The name's Selia Maha, stranger." The girl introduced herself, and jumped from a rock onto the ground more level with Clay. She was couple inches shorter than Clay, and appeared to be around his age, maybe younger. "How about yours?"

"Clay Bailey, miss," The cowboy politely said with a tip of his hat.

The girl gave a little giggle. "I love you accent! Are you from Texas?"

"Why, yes I am, miss." Clay proudly replied, his chest puffed with Texan pride with that statement. He ignored the burning of his blushing cheeks, hoping she didn't notice.

"Anyways, you're lost, I take it?" Selia asked, cocking her head to the side. "Not surprised, really. These woods get me lost in them sometimes, and I've grown up here my whole life!"

"Yeah, I reckon I got sep'rated from my friends tryin' to get my hat," Clay explained to Selia, the embarrassment only adding to his blush.

"Well then, I can help you there, my Texan friend," to Clay's surprise, Selia knelt down on the ground and rested her ear against the ground. After a moment of silence, she sat back up and placed her hand on the ground; more silence. She then stood up, and pointed to her right. "They're that way. About three sets of footsteps I hear running around that way."

"Thank you kindly, miss." Said Clay. "Now, to find th' Emerald Phoenix-!" Before Clay was able to finish his sentence, the pendant around Selia's neck glowed, which caught Clay by surprise. 'Wait a minute…' he thought. Taking a closer look, the cowboy noticed the intricate carvings on the pendant, creating a bird-like figurine. "Miss, where'd you get that necklace?"

"Oh, this?" Selia placed her free left hand over the now faintly glowing pendant. "It's been in the family for a generation or two."

"This'll prob'bly sound crazy t' ya, but that's what my friends and I came lookin' for…" Clay tentatively said, trying to pick his words just right.

"Really? Whadda ya need it for?" the girl asked, cocking her head to the other side, curiousity in her voice.

'Well, here i' goes…' Clay took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't be thought of as loco. "Y'see, we're monks that've been trainin' at a temple somewhere 'bouts in China and a part of th' trainin' is to find and protect these here Shen Gong Wu- er, um… magical artifacts, that is…" the cowboy sheepishly grinned, knowing his explanation sounded dumb to those not in the know.

"So you'd like to have it?" Selia asked bluntly, fingering the chain the Emerald Phoenix was on.

"I'll understand if'n ya don't want to-" before Clay could finishing his sentence, the girl reached for the pendant's chain and started to pull it over her head. "Wait, you don' have t' just give it t' me-"

"I don't see why not. It's kinda heavy to be wearing anyways…" And with that, Selia pulled the necklace off over her head, but the chain caught her sunglasses causing them to fall and hit the ground. "Well, shoot," Annoyed, she picked up her glasses, placed them in her hand holding the walking stick before holding out the Emerald Phoenix to Clay. But Clay hesitated.

"Miss?" Clay asked, staring at her eyes. "Please don' take offense… Are your eyes…?"

Selia smiled when he couldn't finish the sentence. "Yes, sir, I'm blind. Could you take this from me, please?" Clay gently took the Emerald Phoenix out of her outstretched hand, not breaking his gaze with her sightless eyes. She slipped the sunglasses back on over her clouded, sapphire-blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn' know-" Clay began.

"It's fine, my Texan friend," She said with a smile. "In fact, I was hoping you wouldn't find out during this by-chance meeting, but whatever." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "By the way, your friends sound like they're in trouble,"

"What-?" Clay looked to his left, and sure enough, JackBots came flying through, followed along by Raimundo, Kimiko and Omi. Jack was busy 'perfecting' his evil laugh while Wuya was annoyed with Jack's lack of focus, as usual.

"JakBots! Smog!" And with that command, all the JakBots released a thick, black fog that blanketed the area. Clay, remembering that the Emerald Phoenix was in his hands, knew what to do.

"Emerald Phoenix!" He shouted, and the pendant turned into a set of goggles, automatically fitting to his head. Clay was now able to see where everyone was, and took this opportunity to trip up Jack, confusing him. Clay managed to direct all the JakBots right for Jack, which caused the JakBots to immediately begin attacking their creator.

"GAH! OUCH! THAT HURTS! JAKBOTS! RETREAT!" Jack commanded, and with that, the threat was over, the smog cleared. Once the other dragons were able to see, they saw that they had Clay to thank for the rescue.

"That was great, Clay!" Kimiko said, complimenting the cowboy. "How'd you manage that?"

"Nice one, Clay! Sending Jack's 'bots after him was a slick move!" Was the thanks coming from Raimundo.

"I had it under control Clay, but I appreciate your valiant effort!" were the words from the egotistic monk Omi.

"Ain't nothin'," was Clay's modest reply. Looking at the Emerald Phoenix pendant in his hand, Clay was reminded of the girl in the woods and he suddenly worried what had happened to her. He quickly glanced around for the blind girl, but she was nowhere to be found. "Selia?"

"Selia? Who's that?" Kimiko asked, confused.

"Someone who gave me th' Emerald Phoenix. But where'd she go…?" Clay said, anxiously looking around.

"Eh, whatever," Came out of Raimundo's mouth. "At least we have the Emerald Phoenix. Now let's head back to the temple. I'm starving!" As everyone else agreed with Raimundo and hopped onto Dojo's back, Clay glanced around one more time in hopes of seeing the blind girl again, but to no avail.

"What're you waiting for, Clay? An Invitation?" Kimiko said impatiently. Clay hopped onto Dojo's back, and as the dragon took off, Clay took a glance at the Emerald Phoenix in his hand. He felt a rough texture on back of the pendant. Curious, he looked on the back of it, and saw that there was a piece of water-proof paper taped to it. He gently removed it, opening it out of curiousity. Selia's name and address were written on the small scrap of paper with "If lost, please return" written at the top. Knowing that this wasn't meant to be returned, he just pocketed the piece of paper, and allowed his thoughts to return to his home back in Texas.

* * *

Author's Notes: Hey everyone, long time no update! Life has taken so many twists and turns in my life that I all but abandoned my fanfic writing: my writing muse was dead. I've taken on the project of rewriting/remastering "The Emerald Phoenix" 'cause, looking back, I was SUCH a n00b in my writing. To give me some credit, though, this was only my second fanfic. Hopefully these remastered chapters will read easier, have better word flow, and be more enjoyable for a lazy summer day's reading in front of the computer with a cold soda in your hand. Please R&R, C&C whatever you can, I do love hearing from you guys.


	2. The Siamese Copy Cat

Fanfiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 2: The Siamese Copy Cat

* * *

"Grandpa! Grandpa, I'm home!" Selia called out as she walked into the home she shared with her parents and grandfather.

"I'm in the living room, Selia." came the familiar voice of her grandfather. Selia found her way there effortlessly, having learned the route long ago.

"I met a cowboy, Grandpa!" she said, very excited, giving Grandpa a peck on the cheek before sitting on the arm of his chair, resting her right arm on his left shoulder.

"Really, now?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "And why would a cowboy be out here in our neck of the woods?"

"He and his friends were looking for the Emerald Phoenix," Selia said matter-o-factly. Her hand moved to the spot on her chest where said pendant used to reside. Her grandfather chuckled.

"Ah, so Master Fung has four new Dragons, eh?" He chuckled. "I knew that that pendant was a Shen Gong Wu…"

"So it was all right to give the cowboy my pendant?" She asked tentatively. Her grandfather had shared stories of his days back in China and the Xiaolin temple had come up every now and then. She'd hoped she'd done the right thing.

"You did the right thing giving him the Emerald Phoenix, my darling granddaughter," He reassured her. "Now, do you want to continue reading the adventures of Captain Nemo?"

"Yessir!" Climbing off of the arm of the chair, she found her way over to the bookshelf and pulled off the brailed copy of _10,000 Leagues Under the Sea _and handed it to Grandpa, making herself comfortable on the arm of the chair once again.

"Now, let's see…" He found where they had left of and, placing her fingers right behind his, began to read aloud the Braille his fingers translated. 'Oh, how I wish you weren't inflicted with this disease, my granddaughter…' He'd always quietly thought to himself since she fell to it. 'I counted my lucky stars when your father wasn't affected by it, but it carried on to you and at such a younger age than I…' But he always knew that his granddaughter wouldn't have it any other way…

* * *

"Dragon X-Kume Formation!" The four dragons shouted, as they practiced on the grounds of the XiaolinTemple. It had been a couple of days since they'd secured the Emerald Phoenix so things had returned to their normal routine. Their task this day was to execute their attacks withexact precision and timing on objects moving faster than 90 mph. As usual, Raimundo, Omi, and Kimiko were jumping everywhere to reach their targets, while Clay patiently waited for his targets to come to him before destroying them withhis Seismic Kick or a well-placed punch withthe Fist of Tebigong. During their training, however, Kimiko slipped up and what she was aiming to attack was now attacking her. She was hit and flung towards the ground. Clay saw this and quickly assisted in catching her, though this caused him to get nicked the back withone of the flying disks, knocking the wind out of him. Dizzy from the lack of oxygen, Clay stumbled back and landed on his sore back, while Kimiko stood up and brushed herself off.

"Well that was unexpected…" She muttered, glaring at the disks flying around. "Clay! Are you all right?!"

"Yeah..." Muttered the cowboy with a cough. "Jus' got the wind knocked outta me, is all" He reassured.

"That's good." Kimiko said, getting back to their training. During this incident, Clay hadn't noticed that the piece of paper with Selia's name on it had fallen out of his pocket and was sitting on the ground. So by the time Master Fung called his young dragons-in-training in for the day go get dinner, Clay still hadn't discovered this.

As Master Fung watched his monks eagerly dart inside for dinner, he couldn't help but notice the piece of paper littering his courtyard. When he picked it up, he found it had some writing. He unfolded it and read what was inside. He raised an eyebrow.

"Dojo," Master Fung called to the 1,500 year-old dragon.

"Yeah, Master Fung?" Dojo replied, now on Master Fung's shoulders.

"Do you recall a monk by the name of Cecil Maha?" He inquired of the dragon.

"Hmm… Maha, is it?" Dojo pondered on this for a moment. "Ah! Wasn't he the monk that went blind after awhile? Actually, he also left just a month after you became Master, right?"

"Yes, that's what I thought," Master Fung stared at the paper in his hands. "It appears that he has relatives, if I'm not mistaken."

Meanwhile, as our four warriors ate, they discussed their find of the Emerald Phoenix earlier that week.

"So, HOW did you come across the Emerald Phoenix, Clay?" Raimundo asked with a mouthful of rice.

"I already told ya," Clay reminded him, a bit annoyed.

"Yes, you have told us your giant tale, but it is hard to believe it." Omi admitted to his fellow monk.

"Yeah, I mean, how weird is it that a girl would appear in the woods, one that's blind at that, and just hand over her family necklace?" Kimiko piped in, skepticism in her voice.

"I cain't explain everythin', guys," Clay said with an exasperated sigh, knowing they just weren't going to believe his story without proof. "All I can tell you is th' truth, an' that's what I've been tellin' y'all all along…"

"If you say so, Clay, then I believeyou!" Omi said with a big grin.

"Thanks, partner," Clay smiled back and once he finished eating, returned to his quarters.

After Clay left, Omi looked to the others. "To be honest, I do not purchase his explanation," He admitted to the others.

"I hope you mean 'buy his story.' And yeah, I don't see why Clay thinks he has to make up a story to tell us he found the Emerald Phoenix before us," Raimundo agreed with the others, having finished his meal he made himself comfortable by laying down on his side, propping his head up with his hand.

"Maybe that's exactly why, Rai," Kimiko seemed to suddenly 'understand.'

"Mind explaining further?"

"Don't mind if I do!" Kimiko made herself comfortable on the floor before commencing her explanation. "Maybe Clay is just trying to not make us feel bad that he got this Shen Gong Wu."

"I still do not see why, though. He's humble and very honest, so why would he lie to us, his friends?" Omi asked the others.

"Eh, who knows? He's one weird cowboy to understand." Raimundo saw Master Fung out of the corner of his eye as he spoke, so he jumped to his feet and grabbed his dishes off of the table.

"Ah, it's good to see my monks cleaning up after themselves," said Master Fung complimenting to his students. "Where has Clay gone to?"

"I think he hit the hay early," Raimundo mentioned as he quickly washed his set of dishes and put them away.

"I see. Well my young monks, you best as well turn in early as well. I predict that tomorrow will be an eventful day for the four of you." with that said, Master Fung left. The three dragons looked on after their Master in confusion and curiosity.

"What do you think Master Fung means by that?" Omi wondered aloud, as he and the others finished the dinner dishes.

Back in Clay's quarters, the cowboy was laying on his futon, recounting all that had happened earlier that week. This was when he remembered the piece of paper in his pocket. He reached into his pocket to retrieve it, but found it missing.

"Oh, no…" Clay began to panic a little. Checking his other pocket, his sleeves, his shoes, and his hat, there was nothing. The piece of paper was nowhere to be found. "Aw man!" Clay cried out, frustrated. "Now they'll NEVER believe me…"

"Who will never believe you, young monk?" said the familiar voice of Master Fung. Clay looked up and saw the Master standing at the entry way to his room.

"Evenin' Master Fung," Clay politely responded. "Rai, Kimiko and Omi don' believe me about how I got m' hands on th' Emerald Phoenix…" he bowed his head down.

"Just because one tells the truth does not guarantee that those who hear it will believe it," The Master reassured the Dragon of Earth. "Who knows, young monk. Maybe the credibility of your story will one day be proven to your fellow dragons,"

"Yeah, I know, Master Fung. But it'd be nice if they'd have faith in me now t' believe me," Clay sighed, tipping his hat to cover his face.

"Do not give up, young monk," Master Fungtold Clay once more. "Some of life's best journeys go down rocky trails." And with that, Master Fung left.

"Easier said than done, Master Fung, sir…" Clay laid himself down, resting his head on his pillow, and drifted off to sleep….

* * *

It was dawn. The world seemed at peace as the sun lazily rose up towards the sky.

"JAAAAACK!" howled Wuya as she flew into his bedroom.

"AAAAAIIEEEE!" was the girly scream that escaped Jack as he was so rudely woken up. "What's wrong?! Are we under attack?! Is Chase here?!" were the questions bombarded at Wuya.

"No, you idiot!" she snapped. "Now get up and let's go! A Shen Gong Wu as just revealed itself!"

"Can't it wait until after breakfast?" he whined, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"No, you fool!" Wuya flew through Jack's chest.

"Eee-yah!" Jack shuddered and cried out. "Quit that!"

"I'll do it again if you don't get your butt out of bed and on your way to the Siamese Copy Cat!" Wuya threatened.

"Ok, ok!" Jack quickly jumped out of bed and got dressed. "What does the Siamese thingy do?"

"Ugh," Wuya sighed, exasperated. "The Siamese Copy Cat allows the holder to copy any Shen Gong Wu. But, it only lasts for as long as it is held," She explained, floating about.

"Ok, then. Sounds like a nice Shen Gong Wu to have in our hands!" Jack proclaimed. "For today I, Jack Spicer: Evil Boy Genius, shall get the Siamese Copy Cat before the Xiaolin Losers!"

"That'll be a nice change," Wuya muttered bitterly.

"HEY!" Jack whined at Wuya, jumping into one of his evil inventions. "Anyways, where to?"

"To Egypt, my annoying accomplice!" Wuya directed, as Jack took off in his flying contraption towards the ancient monuments of Egypt.

* * *

"C'mon, monks! Wake up!" said Dojo, zipping through the quarters of each monk, shaking them awake. As for Omi, Dojopulled out his mini gong and hit it, which brought Omi back to reality in a jiffy.

"What's all th' hullabaloo about, Dojo?" Clay asked sleepily, sitting up in his futon.

"Shen Gong Wu alert!" Dojo stated, darting around wildly. "We've gotta get going if we're going to beat Jack Spicer to it!"

"Well, I don't remember a Shen Gong Wu alert going off at dawn before," Rai stated sleepily as he went to change.

As soon as everyone was ready, Kimiko taking the longest, the four took off for Egypt. It seemed as if it had only been a few minutes before the group reached Egypt.

"Welcome back to Egypt!" Dojo announced, as the dragons climbed off of his back.

"Dojo, did Great Master Dashi like Egypt for some reason to hide more than one ShenGong Wu here?" Kimiko asked, looking at the pyramid they were standing in front of.

"I dunno. Why you ask?" Dojolooked at Kimiko.

She shrugged. "I dunno. Just something I was wondering about."

"Anyways, the Siamese Copy Cat is within the walls of this pyramid here," Dojo instructed, as he tapped a stone brick. This revealed a passageway inside the pyramid.

"Dude! How'd you know that was there, Dojo?!" Rai asked, impressed.

"I didn't forget EVERYTHING, y'know," Dojosaid with a proud smile.

"Then let us stop with the dally-dilly and find that ShenGong Wu!" Omi shouted as he darted into the passageway.

"Omi, it's 'dilly-dally!' Get it right!" Rai sighed, exasperated. The remaining three monks quickly followed after Omi into the Pyramid. Avoiding many traps by the skin of their teeth, the four dragons finally made it to the chamber wherein the Siamese Copy Cat resided.

"I have found the Siamese Copy Cat!" Omi shouted a little too loudly.

"Then get it, chrome-dome!" Raimundo said, rolling his eyes. Just as Omi was about to reach for it, the arm of the Third Arm Sash snatched it. Surprised, Omi lost his balance but was able to land on his two feet.

"Jack Spicer! I demand that you give us the Siamese Copy Cat!" Omi ordered the Goth-wannabe genius.

"Hah! And let you guys have all the fun? I don't think so!" with that said, Jack held the Siamese Copy Cat up high. "Siamese Copy Cat! Silk Spitter!" The Siamese Copy Cat morphed itself into the Silk Spitter, and Jack fired away at the four Xiaolin Dragons.

The four quickly evaded the fired strands of silk, but while they were playing "dodge-the-silk," Jack and Wuya managed to escape.

"Aw, man! That's not cool!" Raimundo shouted after the retreating Jack and Wuya.

"We'll get th' next one, Rai," Reassured Clay as the foursome made their way out of the pyramid.

"Yeah, that's what you always say, Clay," Raimundo spat back, agitated.

"Hey now, don' be gettin' as ornery as a rattler that done been stepped on, Rai-"

"Just shut up with the "hometown sayin's," Clay!" Rai barked back, taking the cowboy by surprise.

"Rai, don't take your anger out on us!" Kimiko scolded him. "So we lost a Shen Gong Wu. It happens!"

"Yeah, whatever," Rai muttered, as he jumped onto Dojo's back. Soon the dragons were landing in the courtyard of the Xiaolin Temple.

"Welcome back, my students," Master Fung warmly greeted his apprentices as they climbed off of Dojo.

"We're sorry, Master Fung, but we have lost the Siamese Copy Cat to Jack Spicer," Omi quietly told their Master. Master Fung rested his hand on Omi's shoulder.

"It is quite all right, my warriors," He told them, before turning around and walking towards one of the main buildings. But then he stopped. "Oh, by the way. I have some good news for you,"

"Really?!" Rai perked up. "Do we get decent beds?!"

"Will we get technology that isn't so stone age?" Kimiko asked, hopeful.

"Or perhaps new training techniques?!" was Omi's happy quip.

"Even better, my young monks," Master Fungplaced his hand on the door. "My Dragons, please help your new teammate feel welcome," And with that said, Master Fung opened the door…

* * *

Author's Notes: Bwahahahahah! Cliff-hanger! Though it might not be much of one, since it is a bit predictable ^^; Anywhos, enjoying the story so far? If not, let me know! Reviews and e-mails are welcome! Wait… That might not make 'em WANT to review… I know! Reverse Psychology! DON'T review! I HATE reviews! *Watches as everyone leaves* …Well that didn't work now did it?

Side-note: the Siamese Copy Cat is a Shen Gong Wu that my little bro and I came up with. There's gonna be another coming up that we concocted together, but that'll be saved for another day…


	3. The New Apprentice

Fanfiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 3: The New Apprentice

* * *

A girl stepped out from the doorway and into the courtyard. The girl had her dark brown hair back in a single braid, a pair of sunglasses on, and wore Xiaolin Apprentice's robes. In her right hand was her walking stick. In other words, it was Selia Maha, to the surprise of Clay.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet-" Began Master Fung, but was cut off with-

"Selia!" Clay said, honestly surprised. "I didn' know you were gonna be comin' here!"

"Is that Clay?" Selia smiled, recognizing the voice. She put her left hand out to find him.

"Yeah it is, Miss," Clay answered, gently taking the hand that was searching for him.

During this time, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Omi were stunned silent. They couldn't believe that Clay's story held water, let alone that the girl who gave him the Emerald Phoenix would be the newest edition to the temple.

"Ev'ryone, this is Selia Maha, the one who had th' Emerald Phoenix," Clay stated as he helped guide Selia to where the others were. Master Fung stood where he was and smiled, letting Clay take the reins in the introductions.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Selia said with a smile, letting go of Clay's helping hand she reached out to the monk in front of her, which happened to be Raimundo.

"The name's Raimundo and I am the Dragon of the Wind!" Rai introduced himself, shaking her hand.

"Raimundo. Got it," Selia said.

"I'm Kimiko Tohomiko, Dragon of Fire," Kimiko was next to shake Selia's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kimiko," Selia said with a smile and a nod.

"And I am Omi, Dragon of Water! I am the most powerful of the four dragons!" Omi proudly boasted.

"Omi, is it?" Selia checked with him. "I'll do my best to remember that,"

"Welcome to th' group," Clay said with a traditional Southern welcoming. "So, what brings you to the Xiaolin Temple?"

"Master Fung contacted my grandpa and asked if I was interested in becoming a Xiaolin Dragon," Selia beamed happily. "My grandfather use to attend here in his younger days." She explained.

"Really? That is most interesting!" Piped in Omi.

"Yes, your grandfather, Cecil Maha, was one of my most accomplished monks. It was a sad day when he left us…" said Master Fung, bringing himself back into the conversation as he recounted this to the young monks.

"Why did he leave?" Raimundo asked of Master Fung.

"That's a story for another day, Raimundo. For now, let us show Selia around and get her acquainted with the Xiaolin Temple," was the Master's reply, brushing aside the matter concerning Selia's grandfather.

"Yes sir, Master Fung, sir," Clay replied obediently, as Master Fung left.

"So, is it true that you are blind?" Omi asked the moment he could.

"Omi! Don't be so rude!" Kimiko glared at him. "Sorry, Selia is it?. Omi's just not one to think before he speaks,"

"It's all right, Kimiko," Selia reassured her with a laugh. "To answer your question Omi, yes, I am," She removed her sunglasses with her left hand, revealing her sapphire-blues eyes, her pupils clouded over being the cause of her blindness. "It's a hereditary disease, unfortunately. My Dad didn't get it from Grandpa, but I was the lucky one who was affected by it when I was 8," She explained, about to slide the sunglasses back on.

"You don' have to keep 'em on if'n you don' want to, Selia," Clay told her, noticing what she was doing.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about us being bothered by your eyes," Raimundo quickly added in.

"In fact, your eyes look most interesting, and as Raimundo would say, 'cold!'" Omi piped in. Raimundo just rolled his eyes and muttered something about Omi and his inability to speak.

With a smile, Selia quietly put the sunglasses away. "Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your kindness," She gave a bow to the others.

"Ain't nothin' to it, Selia," Was Clay's modest reply.

"C'mon, we'll give you a tour of the temple!" Kimiko grabbed Selia's hand, and the tour began.

After several funny incidents and a few band-aids later, the crew completed the tour and settled down for lunch. As the dragons continued through their meal, the conversation at the table was livelier than ever before. Since the foursome usually didn't discuss much while eating their meals together, that usually being accomplished while training, it was a nice change. The group took turns swapping stories about past missions, and asking Selia more about herself. When lunch was finished, everyone was ready to get back to training. As the Dragons were ready to head out, Selia stayed behind, noticing the clinking of dishes in the sink meaning that they were only being piled up in the sink for later cleaning. She picked up her dishes and was about to find her way to the sink when someone gently took the dishes from her.

"Le' me get that for ya, Selia," Came Clay's voice. He was also carrying Kimiko's dishes back to the sink, habitually practicing the good manners taught to him by his dad growing up.

"Thanks, Clay. Question: Do you always leave the dishes for later?" She asked, curious, as she rested her walking stick against the side of the counter.

"Yeah, we do 'em at th' end of th' day. I don' see why we'd do otherwise," Clay analyzed, setting the dishes in the sink. "It's jus' what we've always done 'round here,"

"Well, maybe we can change that starting today," Selia offered, feeling her way down along the cabinet under the sink and opening a cabinet door. "Is the dish soap down here?"

"Selia, you meanin' to clean th' dishes now?" Clay asked, kneeling down. "Th' soap's right here," He showed her where it was by placing her hand on it.

"Thank you, and yes, I'm meaning to," She said, standing back up and closing the cabinet door. "It just makes cleaning the dishes harder later on in the day," She stated matter-of-factly, rolling up her sleeves.

"Good point. But it's your first day here, and you should just be enjoyin' yerself before gettin' int' the chores we normally do 'round here." He reminded her, watching as she prepared the sink to wash dishes in, stopping himself from helping her unless she asked for it.

"As Grandpa likes to quote: don't put off for tomorrow what you can get done today," was her reply as she began to do the dishes. "Mind rinsing and drying these, Clay?"

"Oh! Sure, no prob'lim," Clay grabbed a towel and threw it over his shoulder so it'd be in easy grabbing distance. He then rinsed, dried, and put away the dishes. "Mind if I ask about yer gran'pa?" He asked, testing the waters of conversation.

"I'm guessing you're curious about why he stopped being a Xiaolin Warrior?" Selia said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah!" Clay replied eagerly. "Why'd he leave?"

"For love."

Clay was caught by surprise, thinking it would be something totally different.

"Love?"

"Yep," Selia grabbed some more dishes from the counter. "By that time Grandpa was already blind. He lost his sight when he was around fourteen, and left the temple in his late twenties. One day, while doing his chores, a woman came by the temple on official business, seeking assistance to help safely transport needed supplies to the temple. Grandpa swore that he heard an angel's voice that day," She laughed at saying this. "After that encounter, she came back not too long after to finish the delivery. Grandpa then asked for her name, and it went from there. Knowing the monk code, Grandpa knew what he had to do if he wanted to live with this woman for the rest of his days. So, after thinking about this for well over a year, Grandpa told Master Fung that he was leaving and was gone the next day."

"Then what?" Clay persisted, wanting to know the ending.

"Grandma and Grandpa married and had Dad and my aunts and uncles. Unfortunately, Grandma died a few years back, but at least I still have Grandpa!" the girl said with a big grin. She finished with the last dish and set it in Clay's side of the sink.

"I'm sorry t' hear that," The cowboy said quietly as he put away the last dish and hung the towel he'd been using on a hook to dry.

"Don't be. She's in a better place," Selia finished cleaning out the sink and wiped her hands dry on her robes before rolling her sleeves back down. "Besides, we should be looking towards a brighter future, not the darker past,"

Clay chuckled. "Yer beginnin' t' sound like Master Fung!"

She laughed. "Yeah, Grandpa warned me not to be much like Master Fung with his 'insightful quips.'" She shrugged. "Oh well. Guess it's too late for that, huh?" With that said Selia picked up her walking stick and worked her way towards the exit to the training grounds, the sounds of the others training audible. "Let's go join the others!"

"Comin'!" Clay called back, quickly catching up with her. The cowboy now looked at life a little bit differently, and at Selia in a new light.

* * *

OOC: And that, ladies and gents, was Chapter 3. Got around to introducing Selia properly this chapter. And, for the curious-minded, I hope that Cecil's story of leaving the temple was satisfactory enough. Anyone wanna take a guess at the meaning of Selia's name?

Questions, comments, criticism, and reviews are welcome. Heck, flames are fun, too!


	4. The Cat's Eye

Fan Fiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 4: The Cat's Eye

* * *

"Help-!" Selia cried out as she fell out of a tree, plummeting towards the ground. The branch she'd been standing on had given way.

"I've got ya!" Raimundo shouted, quickly diving down and landing on his feet below, holding out his arms to catch her. He caught her, but her momentum took him down with her.

"I am so sorry, Raimundo!" Selia quickly apologized, standing herself up and then helping Raimundo up onto his feet.

"It's not your fault you couldn't tell that that branch was dead. Don't sweat it!" He reassured her as he brushed himself off.

"Are you two ok?" Kimiko called down to the two warriors from her perch in a tree.

"Yeah, we're fine," Raimundo replied, jumping back up into a tree.

Clay hopped down out of the tree he was hiding in, landing by Selia. "Want any help gettin' back up into th' trees, Selia?" He offered his assistance.

"If you don't mind, Clay, it would be most appreciated," Selia said, looking in the direction of his voice.

"Not at all, miss," Clay picked her up by her waist and hoisted her up into a nearby tree. "Jus' be more careful while we're playin' Tree Tag, is all,"

"I'll do my best, Clay," Selia reassured him as she regaining her balance, becoming familiar with the tree she was in.

"What's the point behind this game anyways?" Raimundo asked, leaning against the trunk of the tree he was standing in.

"The reason behind this training is to hone our balance to its utmost ability," Omi said as he jumped from branch to branch. "Besides, one never knows when they might have to duck it out in battle in the trees!"

"I'm hoping you meant 'duke it out,' Omi," Raimundo rubbed his forehead and took a breath.

"Who is this 'Duke' you speak of?" Omi asked, puzzled.

"Gah! I give up!" Rai proclaimed, jumping up higher into the tree he was in.

"Was it something I said?" Omi asked, as he watched Raimundo disappear higher into the trees.

"Let's just get this training over with," Kimiko reminded the others. "My nails can't take much more abuse from all of this tree climbing!" At hearing this Selia couldn't help but giggle. How conscious Kimiko was of her appearance was laughable at most times, but only because she herself was a tomboy, not a big fan of makeup and the like. Clay, being in agreement with Selia, just cracked a smile before training commenced.

* * *

"The Cat's Eye mustn't fall into the hands of the Xiaolin Warriors nor the buffoon Jack Spicer," Came the calm, cool voice of Chase Young, echoing throughout his mansion of a mountain home. He nimbly walked throughout the stone interior, and found himself at his throne, wherein he seated himself. One of his pet warrior tigers came to him, and he stroked the top of its head.

"The sister Wu of the Cat's eye is already in possession of Jack Spicer," Chase recapped to himself. "If that idiot managed to figure out how the two worked together, my warriors would disappear on me…" Were Chase's concerned thoughts, as he continued to stroke the head of the tiger.

"But what puzzles me the most," Chase's thought process then shifted here. "Is the new monk within the walls of the Xiaolin Temple." Chase waved his hand, and the scene of the now five monks training came into his view, a detached screen floating in front of his throne. "There is something peculiar about her…" He said quietly, the scene on the screen showing Kimiko helping out Selia. "Something I don't like." Chase stated coldly. "If I do not do something about her sometime soon, I fear that my plans to rule this pathetic world may be stalled a bit longer…" And with a wave of his hand, the screen dissipated, Selia's smiling face the last image on the screen…

* * *

"Has it really only been two weeks since you arrived at the temple, Selia?" Kimiko asked, noticing how Selia was finding her way around the temple with ease as they completed their chores before lunch.

"I believe it has been, Kimiko," She replied, putting away the plates in the second cupboard to the right of the sink. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious how you've managed to learn your way around the temple already. I mean, I was getting myself lost around here even after a month of living here," Kimiko admitted, finishing her chore of sweeping up the kitchen.

Selia giggled. "Is that it?" She asked, closing the cabinet. "Well, to be honest, I have quite a memory."

"You mean you've memorized everywhere you've been?" Kimiko asked in amazement.

"Yeah, basically. Where I've spent at least a week at, that is," Selia told her as she grabbed her walking stick and heading to the table for lunch. "I can even tell who is who by their footsteps now. For example, Omi's darting in here on the ceiling, Raimundo's coming in from the court yard, and Clay's already sitting at the table,"

"No way!" Kimiko said, shocked. Everything Selia had said was right on, as Omi dropped down from the ceiling to his spot at the table and Rai seated himself down. Kimiko took her usual spot, while Selia sat next to Kimiko and across from Clay.

"Having lost my sight has also helped with me remembering where things are. It kinda became a necessity if I wanted to do things by myself." Selia explained, resting her walking stick against the table, as she felt for her chopsticks on the table. "But anyways, let's eat!"

"I hear ya!" Clay happily agreed, grabbing his bowl of rice and beef and digging in. Just as Selia was taking another bite, she heard the frantic slithering of Dojo coming from the hallway.

"Shen Gong Wu alert, everybody!" The gecko-sized dragon shouted excitedly. Everyone groaned.

"Can't it wait until after lunch, Dojo?" Raimundo begged.

"No time!" Dojo told them. "Best just bring your food along for the ride! The Cat's Eye can't fall into the hands of Jack Spicer today!"

"The Cat's Eye?" Omi quizzically stated.

"The Cat's Eye allows for the user to obtain eyes like a cat's. But, when combined with the Siamese Copy Cat, things can get a little hairy! Now, come on!" Dojo quickly darted outside, and transformed into his eighty foot-long form.

"I wonder what Dojo means by that?" Selia asked, getting up, holding her walking stick in her right hand, and bowl of food in her left.

"Guess we're reckon to find out," Clay said, guiding Selia by the shoulder outside, and helping her up onto Dojo's back before seating himself behind her. As the team of Xiaolin warriors rode on Dojo's back, the original four couldn't help but notice how familiar their route was. And then they were there: Egypt.

"Dojo, are you sure Great Master Dashi did not have a reason for hiding so many Shen Gong Wu in Egypt?" Omi asked, as Dojo landed along-side the Nile River.

"How should I know? Anyways, break out the Gills of Hamachi, 'cause the Cat's Eye is down there!" Dojo pointed at the Nile River.

"I shall go and catch the Cat's Eye!" Omi proudly said, pulling out the Gills of Hamachi.

"That's 'fetch,' Omi!" Raimundo corrected.

"That too!" And with that, Omi slipped on the Gills of Hamachi. "Gills of Hamachi!" The young monk dived into the water, and swam down towards the bottom of the Nile River.

"Why is it so important that we get this Shen Gong Wu, Dojo?" Kimiko asked once more.

"Let's just say that it'll be easy pickings for Chase to get his hands on if Jack Spicer has it." Dojo told them.

"Who is Chase Young?" Selia spoke up. "Also, you mentioned a Jack Spicer. Who is he?"

"They're both no good varmints who need t' be taught a lesson about not tryin' to take over th' world," Clay said, eyeing the sky incase either of these two opponents showed up.

"Yeah, they're both bad news for us," Raimundo added.

Back to Omi, the dragon of water was busily swimming about, when he spotted what seemed to be just a piece of pottery. Curious, Omi swam closer to it and, upon closer examination, found it to be the Cat's Eye! With two cat heads, one on opposite sides of the Shen Gong Wu, and a single, large cat eye in the center of one of the sides, it just had to be! So, Omi quickly grabbed it, and swam towards the surface. As he swam, though, something grabbed him from behind.

"What is this?" Omi yelled, before looking behind himself. Lo and behold, there was Jack Spicer in one of his underwater contraptions. An extended arm had Omi around the leg. Omi, annoyed, quickly slipped out of the arm, since his fish-form was more slippery. Omi then made a beeline for the surface.

"EVERYONE! Jack Spicer is right under me!" Omi shouted to warn the others, ripping off the Gills of Hamachi and hiding them back in his Xiaolin robes. Just as Omi landed safely on dry land, the water broke, and Jack Spicer surfaced, jumping out of his machine, and landing on dry land as well.

"Hello, Xiaolin Losers!" Jack unwittingly greeted the five some. "What's on the agenda today? Oh yes… Kicking your butts and getting the Cat's Eye all to myself!" He proclaimed, before doing his annoying "evil" laugh. "Now, who shall I humiliatingly defeat first?" Jack mused.

"More like: 'who will humiliatingly defeat you first?'" Wuya said, throwing in her two sense.

"Shut up, Wuya! I'm trying to be evil here!" Jack barked at her. "Now, where was I…? Oh yes! Now, should it be Omi? Maybe Raimundo, or Kimiko? How about Clay-?" Jack cut himself off here. "Hey! Wait a minute! There's too many of 'em here!"

"How perceptive of you," Wuya poured on the sarcasm.

"Who's the new guy?" Jack demanded of the Xiaolin warriors.

"Try new girl," Selia replied, adjusting her sunglasses and gently thumping her walking stick against her leg. "The name's Selia Maha, and I'm afraid that Omi won't be so willing to hand it over to you," She plainly told him.

"Wah-? Since when did another girl join the Xiaolin side?" Jack whined. "How come the side of evil almost NEVER gets any girls?"

"Because you're a buffoon and no girl in her right mind would be on your team," Wuya told him matter-of-factly.

"Shut up!" Jack yelled at the ghost. "JakBots! Attack! Get that Cat's Eye from the short, bald one!" Thus commenced the battle.

Kimiko, Raimundo and Omi were handling their JakBots well enough. Clay and Selia had teamed up to go against the JakBots after them. Clay would aim for the JakBots and Selia would signal for him to throw her at the JakBots. She'd destroy the bots by stabbing them through the head with her walking stick and jump off before they exploded. Clay would then catch her, and they'd do the same thing to the rest of the JakBots. Suddenly, Omi cried out.

"Oh no! The Cat's Eye is missing!" Omi glanced around, trying to find where the Shen Gong Wu had disappeared to. A menacing, yet familiar laugh was heard from overhead. Everyone looked up, and atop the Sphinx stood Chase Young.

"It's Chase!" Jack said, fanboying as he gawked at his evil idol.

"Chase Young? … That's your other opponent, right?" Selia confirmed with Clay.

"Yeah, he's th' other one," He told her, glaring at Chase.

"Thank you for retrieving the Cat's Eye for me, Omi," Chase said, almost congratulatory.

"Chase Young! I order you to drop that Shen Gong Wu, and return it to the Xiaolin Temple where it rightfully belongs!" Omi shouted, though his efforts were ineffective.

"Too bad I'm not that sympathetic, Omi," Chase told Omi icily, rolling the Cat's Eye in his hand. "Now, to take care of other matters…" Chase then turned his focus to Selia. Clay noticed this, and stepped so he stood in front of her, Fist of Tebigong at the ready.

"Stay b'hind me, Selia," Clay told her, getting into a defensive position.

"What's wrong, Clay-?" Before Selia could finish, she sensed something was wrong, and though she was blind, she saw a dark aura darting around. Confused, she concentrated on it, and saw it coming towards them. "Clay! Above you!" She shouted, twirling her walking stick before holding it up defensively with both hands.

"What-?" Clay looked up, and there was Chase! He quickly pulled back the Fist of Tebigong. "Fist of Tebigong!" He shouted, and thrust his fist up towards Chase. Chase easily evaded it, and dove straight for Selia.

"Ah-!" Selia cried out in surprise. The dark aura she saw was now right in front of her, and gripping her shoulders.

"You're a nuisance, and therefore must be disposed of…" Chase told her threateningly. She 'saw' as the dark aura raised a fist.

"No…" She mumbled, becoming tense.

"What was that?" Chase said, unamused.

"I said… NO!" Selia yelled, sunglasses falling off as she shook her head vigorously. As she shouted, a white energy emitted from her.

"No! Not already!" Chase yelled, anger and frustration in his voice. Selia glowed brighter, and sent Chase flying back. Soon, her feet were a few inches off the ground.

"Selia?" Clay called out to her.

"Stay back, Clay! She may be dangerous!" Omi warned the dragon of earth.

"You may have won this round, Xiaolin monks," Chase admitted, disappearing, and then reappearing atop the Sphinx once again. "But this is far from over." And with that, Chase Young disappeared. Selia stopped emitting the white glow, and she fell to the ground.

"Selia!" Clay quickly got to her and gently propped her up. "Selia, can y'hear me?" He asked her. Selia's eyes remained shut.

"Clay, you don't know what's wrong, just-" Kimiko said.

"Don't worry!" Dojo said, reassuring the warriors with his interruption. "This has happened before. Let's just get her back to Master Fung, and quick!" The 1500 year-old dragon transformed into his larger form as he said this. Everyone climbed aboard, Clay seated her in front of himself and held her up so she didn't fall off. Dojo took off, and it felt like it took too long to get back to the temple.

* * *

"Hey! What about me?" Cried out Jack Spicer, he and Wuya the only ones left.

"_What_ about you?" Wuya retorted, annoyed. "You're of no importance if you didn't just knock out one of the warriors," She told him.

"Just shut up already…" Jack told her half-heartedly. Jack spotted the new monk's sunglasses lying on the ground. Cocking an eyebrow, he stooped down and scooped them up before climbing back into his machine, and heading home.

* * *

"Do not fear, my young monks," Master Fung told the others, as he placed a cool cloth on Selia's forehead. "What happened has clarified her as being the Dragon of Chi."

"Dragon of Chi?" Omi repeated. "Is there such a dragon, Master Fung?"

"Yes, there indeed is, Omi," Master Fung replied. "The Dragon of Chi is the dragon which is able to control the energy, or chi, within themself and concentrate it into even more potent and powerful attacks than what you four have managed to do,"

"So, Selia here can kick butt without much effort?" Raimundo asked.

"Yes, but at a price," He explained. "Since Selia doesn't know how to control her dragon element as of yet, she used it all in one burst, and collapsed." Master Fung stood up and pulled Selia's blanket over her, and left her quarters. "It is best to leave her be for now, and allow her to regain her strength, young monks." He said, an order.

"Yes, Master Fung," Was the unanimous reply from the others. As Master Fung left, all the others followed. Well, almost all. Clay remained behind, and seated himself outside of Selia's quarters.

"Aw man," Clay muttered, tipping his hat over his eyes. He felt responsible for what happened. 'If only I had stopped Chase b'fore that happened…' He thought to himself. 'But no use cryin' over spilt milk,' He said to his thoughts. 'Just gotta wait for Selia to wake up and things'll start t' get better. I hope…' And the words Chase had said came back and worried his mind.

* * *

Author's Notes: After a long hiatus, here's chapter 4 rewritten. I like how it reads this time around and it's a bit less n00bish than when I originally wrote it. Next up, Chapter 5: The Whirlpool Necklace!


	5. The Whirlpool Necklace

Fanfiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 5: The Whirlpool Necklace

_

* * *

_

Selia!

'… Huh..?'

_Selia, can y'hear me?_

'Clay…? Why's your voice so distant…?' Selia's subconscious asked. She didn't realize she was unconscious. She heard more talking, but it was so muffled that she could not tell what they were saying. The voices slowly diminished into silence. The last thing she was aware of was the feeling that someone was holding her close, though she didn't know why.

Thus, Selia slipped into a state of dreaming, the only place where she still saw colors, shapes, and faces…

* * *

"Unh…" Selia groaned as she slowly came around. Her sightless eyes creaked open and stared at a ceiling she couldn't see. Selia quietly moved her right hand, and found herself to be in her bed, the familiar fabric of the futon under her fingertips. She noticed that a damp cloth was on her forehead and she was covered up under her blanket. She slowly sat up, wanting to prevent increasing this dizzy feeling, removed the wet cloth, and set it down on the floor beside her. She sat still for a moment and listened. Crickets could be heard outside, the air was cool and crisp. It was night.

Selia stretched and began feeling around for her walking stick. It was on the floor, near where she had set the damp cloth down. Not its usual spot, but at least it was easily found. She couldn't find her sunglasses, so that would have to wait until later. Selia decided to crawl out from her room to see what was going on. The last thing she remembered was yelling at Chase Young 'No!', and then a bright light. After that she had heard voices and remembered someone holding her. As she placed her right hand down outside of her room as she crawled, it landed on someone's hand. "Ah-!" Startled, she started to withdraw her hand, but stopped herself when she recognized the calloused hand belonged to Clay.

"Clay?" She whispered his name. All she got in response was slow, heavy breathing. "Asleep, huh?" Selia asked, knowing the answer. She stood up and found her way to Clay's room by counting the posts that separated the monk's quarters. She grabbed his blanket, and returning to where he was to cover him up with it. "Don't be catching a cold now, cowboy," She said to him in a whisper before going for a walk around the courtyard.

Selia lightly stepped on the ground outside and purposefully veered off the courtyard to walk around in the grass. The crisp night air was always refreshing to her. It was a great way to clear her mind as she enjoyed the feel of the grass beneath her feet.

"Awake already, young monk?" Master Fung asked Selia, the master doing his nightly patrol around the grounds before he himself went to bed.

"Ah, Master Fung!" Selia turned towards the sound of the master's voice. "What time is it? How long have I been asleep? What happened exactly?" She bombarded these questions at Master Fung.

"Calm down, young one," Master Fung told her. "It's almost midnight, and you have been unconscious since the incident with Chase earlier today," He explained to her. "You expelled all of your energy fending off Chase Young. You, my student, are the Dragon of Chi."

"Wait… What?" Selia asked, confused.

"You, Selia, are the Dragon of Chi. As Omi is the Dragon of the element Water, you are the Dragon of the element Chi," Master Fung explained a bit more clearly. "Your element deals with the chi within yourself, your life force and what makes you, you."

"Ah, I see," Selia said mostly to herself, registering all of this. "So, I blacked out after my element went out of control?"

"To put it simply, yes," Master Fung rested his hand on Selia's shoulder. "You must learn to harness your element, and soon, Selia. Yours is the most difficult of the dragons to control, and therefore much more dangerous until it is tamed." He said all of this to her with a tone of seriousness.

"How am I to train, Master Fung?" She asked, seeking guidance.

"Continue with your training along with the others," He told her. "Controlling your chi begins with being one with it and harnessing it. On top of your usual training, I will require you to meditate with me each night before you retire to bed from now on," He instructed her. "Now, do return back to bed, young monk." And with that, Master Fung walked off.

Selia stood still until she couldn't hear his footfalls anymore. She then promptly returned to her quarters. Upon her return, she found Clay to still be asleep where she had found him. She smiled, and gently patted his shoulder. Noticing the blanket wasn't up on his shoulder, she pulled his blanket up over him again. Then, returning to her bed, she laid herself down and closed her eyes, sleep catching up with her swiftly.

* * *

"Come on, everybody!" Dojo shouted, ringing his little gong. "It's time to rise and shi-! Ah… Clay? What're you doing out here?" The dragon asked, spotting a sleepy Clay in the hallway.

"Eh? It's mornin' already?" Clay muttered, rubbing his eyes. Sitting up, the blanket slid off him. "Huh?" Clay noticed the blanket. "Who covered me up last-?"

"Good morning, everyone!" Selia happily said to everyone as she moved the curtain partition to her quarters and stepped out.

"And g'mornin' t' you, too, Selia!" Clay replied, relieved that Selia was up and moving. "How're y'feelin'?"

"Better than ever! Thanks for asking," She said with a smile. "How about we do our morning exercises and get some grub?"

"Man, why are you so full of energy in the morning?" Rai asked grumpily, still trying to wake up.

"I'm a morning person, I guess," She replied with a smile, before heading out to the courtyard.

"Removing her by force did not go according to plan," Chase reviewed, waving his hand to view all that was going on back in the Xiaolin Temple. "Then I must take a different approach to this," He concluded, observing all that was going on. As he watched, he mulled over what to do.

"Let's see just what this dragon can do…" Chase said with a wicked smirk.

"Shen Gong Wu Alert!" Shouted Dojo, interrupting their morning training.

"Dang, Dojo! What's with all the Wu activatin' so close t'gether?" Clay asked.

"Well, it's better than waiting months for one to reveal itself," Raimundo reminded Clay.

"Good point," Clay agreed.

"This one is called the Whirlpool Necklace," Dojo said, opening up the scroll. "This nice accessory allows for anyone to control water-"

"But water is MY element!" Omi protested at the fact anyone else could control his beloved element.

"Yes, Omi, we know," Dojo replied. "But, if the Dragon of Water, Omi, wields this Wu, then his powers increase."

"Ooooo! I'd most love to have this necklace!" Omi said, eyeing the scroll eagerly.

"That's weird," Raimundo stated, looking at the scroll. "Isn't it sorta, I dunno, redundant, to have a Wu that mimics the powers of another Xiaolin Dragon?"

"Not exactly," Dojo said as he closed the scroll. "This Wu serves a purpose. To remind the dragons-in-training that they're not all powerful in their element, that it can be used against them."

"So, Dojo, you are saying that there is more than just the Whirlpool Necklace that relates to the powers of us Xiaolin Dragons?" Selia asked.

"Exactly!" Dojo transformed into his eighty-foot long form. "Hop on! We need to get to that Wu first!" Everyone eagerly climbed aboard, and Dojo quickly took off. Flying over the great Pacific Ocean, Dojo suddenly stopped above the waves.

"What's up, Dojo?" Kimiko asked, eyeing the water, not wanting to mess up her recently done hair-do.

"The Whirlpool Necklace resides on the ocean floor around here is my guess," He promptly told the five warriors. "Omi, would you do the honors?"

"I'd be happy to!" Omi jumped off, and landed on the ocean surface. "Tsunami Strike! Water!" Omi then began to spin much like a top, and the water parted, creating a whirlpool reaching deep down into the water. On the ocean floor was the Whirlpool necklace. The whirlpool Omi's element had made brought the Shen Gong Wu up to him. He caught it in his outstretched hand. "A-ha! Strike that!"

"That's 'beat that', Omi," Rai corrected.

"That makes no sense!" Omi retorted. Just as Omi finished making this statement, he felt an unearthly chill through is torso. Looking down, he spotted Wuya.

"Boo," Wuya said with her usual smirk.

"GAH-!" Startled, Omi lost control of his element, and while trying to wave Wuya away, he dropped the Whirlpool Necklace. "No! The Whirlpool Necklace!"

"I've got it! Raimundo reassured as he stretched his arm out to catch it, but he fumbled and in turn it was passed on towards Selia.

"Where is it?" Selia asked, not sure where the Wu had gone to. She felt something land on her leg and she scooped it up with not hesitation. It felt like a strand of beads. "The Whirlpool Necklace…?" She asked.

"Nice catch, Selia!" Clay congratulated her. Just then she was knocked off. "Selia?" Clay shouted, looking over the side where she had fallen. She was hanging onto the Whirlpool Necklace for dear life while an annoyed Jack Spicer was trying to shake her off.

"Hey! Let go of the Wu!" He ordered her, adjusting a pair of sunglasses that looked familiar, his normal goggles atop of his head in their usual place.

"Wait a minute... Jack Spicer! Give back Selia's sunglasses!" Clay demanded of their foe.

"Hey! She left them behind last time, so if ya snooze, ya lose!" Jack cackled at the joke he made before returning his attention back at Selia. "Well then! I guess we're in for a Xiaolin Showdown?"

"And I plan on winning it!" Selia said with confidence.

"I'll wager my Siamese Copy Cat against your Gills of Hamachi!" Jack stated, pulling out the Siamese Copy Cat as he spoke. "The game is Underwater Tag! The first one to be tagged by the other loses!"

"I accept your challenge!" Selia tightened her grip on the Whirlpool Necklace.

"Then let's go! Xiaolin Showdown!" Jack shouted out of habit. Selia, unfamiliar with showdowns, didn't say anything. The ocean beneath them opened up, creating a whirlpool that revealed a dry spot of ocean floor. The Whirlpool Necklace slithered out of Selia and Jack's grasp, and Selia fell to the ocean floor with a thud.

"This ain't fair!" Clay protested. "Selia isn' able t' see!"

"We're doomed," Kimiko stated, looking down at Selia and Jack in dismay.

"Gong Yi Tempai!" Jack shouted, before quickly holding up the Siamese Copy Cat. "Siamese Copy Cat! Gills of Hamachi!" The Siamese Copy Cat morphed into the Gills of Hamachi, and automatically wrapped around Jack's throat. He transformed into a red fish-like creature, and jumped into the sides of the whirlpool. Unsure of what to do, she stopped and thought a moment. Selia took out the Gills of Hamachi and placed it around her throat.

"Gills of Hamachi!" She shouted, before jumping into the side of the whirlpool as well. She had turned into a white fish-like creature, eyes a clouded blue. She was afraid to breathe at first, but discovered that it wasn't a problem. She swam about, getting use to her new fishy state, but then she heard something.

Jack Spicer, thinking he was being sneaky, dived behind a coral bed, narrating himself. "Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, slowly creeps in on his prey…!"

Selia turned towards where she heard him. Though she couldn't see, her hearing was enhanced what seemed to be ten-fold. She could even hear the beating of Jack's heart! She remained still, floating in the water, waiting to see what he would do.

Jack made his move.

He shot out towards her, both arms outstretched to grab her. Selia heard him, and the electromagnetic pulses she felt in the water showed where he was coming from. She swam up and Jack missed her by a mile!

"Wha-?" Jack, confused, looked up at where she had gone. By this time, Selia had taken on a meditative state, concentrating as hard as she could. She felt the chi within her flowing, fast but steady.

Back on the surface, the four dragons were anxious.

"And WHY can't we see anything?" Kimiko asked, annoyed.

"Yeah! Normally we're able to watch the Showdown!" Rai said in agreement, glaring at the water.

"Then let us fall in on them!" Omi called upon his element, and the four dragons and Dojo lowered into the water, surrounded in a cocoon of air created by Omi's water manipulation.

"Way t' go, Omi!" Clay hit Omi on the back, sending the little monk flying.

Back to the showdown, Selia took a deep breath, or whatever fish do, and opened her eyes. They were white with chi, as she felt Jack's presence closing in on her.

"You're not getting away THIS time!" Jack proclaimed, both hands stretched out once again to grab her. Selia went tense, and she felt her chi reach out and grab Jack, stopping him in mid-swim.

"Wha-?" He cried out, scared. "W-Why am I n-not moving?"

Selia, keeping her hold on Jack, swam down to where she felt his struggling movements coming from. She followed her chi, and touched him on the forehead. "Tag!" She called out with a laugh, before grabbing her shades back, and slid them back onto her face.

"Wha-? NO FAIR!" Jack shouted, angry. As the showdown came to a close, Selia could hear the others cheering her on in victory. But she also felt drained as she released her chi's hold on Jack. Everyone returned to the surface and the three Shen Gong Wu won by Selia came to her hands. Omi and Raimundo assisted Selia by pulling out of the water, setting her on Dojo in what had become her spot.

"Nicely done!" Omi congratulated her, eyeing the Whirlpool Necklace most especially.

"Thank you, Omi," She thanked him, and held out the Whirlpool Necklace to the little monk. "Mind holding onto this for me?"

Omi gasped. "I would be MOST honored to!" He happily said, taking the necklace and placing it around his neck.

"Nice haul o' Wu," Clay told her with a smile.

"Thanks, Clay. I'm glad that I was able to pull that off- Augh!" Selia was cut off by a sudden assault of pain in her arms and she cried out again.

"Selia? What's wrong?" Kimiko asked, worried.

"M-My arms…" She managed to say, before her sightless eyes rolled up into the back of her head, her limp body falling against Clay.

"Back to the temple!" Dojo shouted, taking off into the air.

* * *

"And yet again they leave without ANY consideration to their arch rival!" Jack Spicer shouted bitterly at the monk's retreating forms.

"How shameful!" Wuya moaned. "You lost to a girl! A girl who's blind, on top of that-!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa! Wait!" Jack interrupted. "She's blind?"

Wuya would've strangled him if she had hands. "YES, Jack! She is blind! Sight-impaired! Visually lacking! Akin to a mole!"

"Ok, ok! I get it!" Jack yelled back at her, activating his HeliPack and lifting himself out of the ocean, he went to empty his boots of water. "How'd she win if she couldn't see? And what was the DEAL with me not being able to move?" Jack whined, wringing out his jacket.

"There is something unique about her," Wuya stated to no one imparticular. "She is weak at the moment, though. Very immature in her training,"

"So she's worse than me?" Jack asked.

"I highly doubt that," Wuya muttered, floating back towards the direction of Jack's hideout.

* * *

"Selia, you mustn't practice your element until you have harnessed and learned the basics to control your chi," Master Fung gently scolded her as he assessed the damage done to her arms. From the unpracticed strain from the chi, there were blue lines on her arms, mostly where her veins were.

"I am sorry, Master Fung," Selia replied apologetically. "I thought I could handle it… It helped me win the showdown at least," She tried pointing out the positive, cracking a smile.

"I would much rather have my monks return to me in one piece and good health, than to have all the Shen Gong Wu returned to the vault," He told her, rolling her sleeves back down. "Now, once you're feeling better, you may commence your training." He said before leaving her sitting on the floor in a meditation room. She bowed her head and sighed. But she then heard a footfall and looked up, curious who it was.

"Eh, he may be acting like you didn't do a good job," Raimundo began, walking into the room.

"But he's actually pretty happy," Kimiko said.

"Woo-hoo!" Omi exclaimed happily, running around on the ceiling. "I have the Whirlpool Necklace! My powers shall increase one hundred crease!"

"I'm thinkin' yer shootin' for 'a hundred fold', partner," Clay said to the eager monk on the ceiling, being the last to come in.

"Thanks, everyone," Selia muttered sheepishly. "My punishment is an intensive meditating session tonight with Master Fung," She related this information to the group.

"Hey, at least it isn't scrubbing the floors of the temple with a toothbrush!" Dojo said with a chuckle, slithering onto her shoulder. The group laughed, and once Selia was feeling more like herself, their training commenced, it involving many-a interesting games with the Siamese Copy Cat.

* * *

Author's Note: And here is chapter 5. Looks like I'm on a roll at the moment. We'll see how long that lasts, now won't we?

As always, criticism and critique are always appreciated, along with reactions and responses to my work ^_^

Also, sorry if my chapters pop up repeatedly – I've been having fun relearning how to use FanFiction's uploading system and I wanted my chapters to be easier to read than they were looking originally =/


	6. The Dream

Fanfiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 6: The Dream

* * *

It was now nightfall, and the four Xiaolin Dragons were preparing for bed. Selia had been practicing her meditation skills for a long while now with Master Fung, and she wasn't holding up so well.

"Selia, stop allowing your thoughts to wander," Master Fung said calmly to her, noticing how fidgety she was becoming.

"Sorry, Master Fung," Selia apologized once more with a sigh, and tried to clear her mind for what felt like the one thousandth time. She'd finally achieve a level of calm in her mind, where nothing would be going on, but a slight noise would distract her, and cause for her thoughts to wander. Frustrated, she released the meditative pose she had been holding for the past few hours, and fell onto her back, spreading out her limbs.

"Frustration can lead down two paths: determination, which leads to success; and weariness, which leads to failure." Master Fung pointed out, still holding his own meditative pose.

"I'll keep trying, Master Fung..." Selia muttered, completely frustrated with where this all was going.

"I believe that these past few hours have been enough for you this evening, Selia," Master Fung told her. "You are dismissed to retire to your quarters."

"Thank you, Master Fung," Selia smiled with relief, and got up, heading back to where the monks' rooms were.

"How did the training go?" Kimiko asked when Selia returned.

"Don't ask..." Selia muttered, crawling into her futon. "I just want to fall asleep and not wake up for three days..."

"That bad, huh?" Kimiko poked her head around the door frame into Selia's room. "By the way, your arms feeling any better?"

"Yeah, much better. Thanks for asking," Selia slipped off her sunglasses and placed them in their usual spot by the wall. "'Night, everyone," Yawning, she turned onto her right side as she heard the others return similar phrases. As her sightless eyes slid closed, she listened to the small crickets outside chirp, caressing her to sleep.

* * *

"Momma! Daddy!" Selia called out to her parents. A little girl of six years old, she ran over to her parents, her father picking her up.

"How's my little girl this lovely day?" He asked her, flying Selia through the air. "Enjoying the wind beneath your wings?"

"I love flying, Daddy!" Selia cried out ecstatically. The blue sky overhead was speckled with clouds, the sun shining brilliantly. The days long past, back when Selia was able to see the world around her. The faces she saw now were what she saw every time she heard their voices. Grandpa was sitting at a picnic table, listening to Selia's squeals of laughter. As Selia's father brought her close for a hug, she looked up towards the sky to feel the warmth of the sun as she squinted her eyes. But no sunshine greeted her. The sky had grown dark, thunder rolling in the distance. "Daddy, why is the sky changing?"

The picture-perfect scene dissipated, her smiling family disappearing before her eyes. The world around her grew dark, and soon there was nothing but darkness enveloping her. She changed into her current physical state, a young teenager dressed in monk's clothing. The darkness around her swelled. It gained an aura of purple to it as two slits of stunning gold-yellow opened up. She watched as the slits opened to reveal two giant reptilian-like eyes. This feeling of fear was familiar to her. Then a sinister voice rang through the air and through her whole being.

_"You're a nuisance, and therefore must be disposed of…"_ That same phrase from when she had met him, icy as ever, chilled her to the bone. She felt multiple hands grab at her, all made of the dark aura that seemed to consume her.

"No! Leave me be!" Selia cried out. "I belong with the others! This is my home!"

_"Your home is back with your retired monk of a grandfather!"_ The icy voice barked at her, the grip of the hands holding her tightening. _"Just give up on your quest to become the Dragon of Chi and forsake your powers... Everything will become so much easier for you when you do..." _The voice tempted, the two eyes now having shrunken down to fit onto a dark silhouette made of this evil aura.

"Never..." Selia retorted, feeling herself being drained. The hands acting as chi drainers, Selia weakened with every passing moment.

_"Then I shall have to take them by force!"_ The silhouette roared, raising its hand and plunging it into Selia's chest. She screamed in pain, losing herself in the darkness around her...

* * *

Clay woke up, not knowing why, and looked at his clock. It was a quarter past two in the morning. "Ev'n the roosters are still snoozin'," He muttered to himself, turning back over onto his side. As he went to return back to his rodeo dream, he heard uneven breathing. "What in tar nation...?" Clay sat up and grabbed his hat. Pulling it on over his bed head, he crawled out of his warm futon and poked his head out from his room. Things were quiet outside, everyone still asleep. Even Dojo was sawing away on logs just by what Clay could hear. But the uneasy breathing was continuing. By the light of the slivered moon, Clay stumbled his way towards the sound and found it was coming from Selia's quarters.

"Wonder what's puttin' a knot in her lasso?" He wondered, quietly pushing aside the curtain that served as a door. Peeking in, his gaze was met with the sight of a pale Selia panting for breath. "Selia…?" Clay whispered. "Selia, wake up," He knelt down and crawled into her quarters, stopping by her bedside. He saw that she was in a cold sweat. "This can't be good… Must be that darn Shadow of Fear, an' Jack Spicer's prob'ly th' one behind this!" Angered by the thought, Clay got up and left the building where the monks resided, disappearing into the Wu vault.

Climbing down the stairs, Clay ran his hand along the wall not only to balance him while walking in his hurried descent, but to feel where the specific Wu he was looking for was stored. "A-ha! Here y' are, y' lil' rascal!" He slid open the drawer and pulled out the Reversing Mirror. "This should stop that nightmare," He whispered as he climbed out of the vault, quickly running back over the dew-covered grass. "At least, I hope so..."

Upon Clay's return, he noticed that Selia's condition had worsened, now muttering in her sleep and tossing side to side. Not waiting a second longer, he held up the Reversing Mirror in front of her face, whispering its name.

* * *

Just as the darkness was about to close around her, a bright light shone. Selia squinted her eyes, and looked at it. The light was being reflected off of something, but what she couldn't tell. She fought against the darkness, stretching her hand towards the light. The darkness began to retreat, for there can be no darkness where light is present. A hand clasped hers, and she was pulled out of the darkness.

_"Safety is but an illusion, a fickle state of mind..."_ Hissed the terrible voice as she left the darkness behind. _"It won't last for much longer..."_

Next thing she knew, Selia woke up in a cold sweat, panting and gripping something hard. 'Wait, gripping?' She thought, and loosened her hold slightly to feel and figure out what she was holding. It was someone's hand.

* * *

"A-are y' all right?" Clay's voice immediately registering as something familiar and welcome, which also answered the question of whose hand she was clutching. "I heard ya fussin' in yer sleep, an' when I saw ya lookin' like a groundhog sleepin' on top a' a cactus, I assumed it was that no good Jack Spicer up ta usin' th' Shadow of Fear. So I grabbed th' Reversin' Mirror an'-! ... Selia...?"

While Clay had been talking, Selia had sat herself up, and all that had happened hit her at once. The nightmare, though mild in comparison to past experiences, had mentally drained her and tears brimmed her sightless eyes. Her head felt heavy, and she fell forward, her forehead resting against Clay's chest.

From Clay's view, shortly after using the Reversing Mirror, Selia's right hand reached up and had brushed against his left arm. The natural reaction was to grab her hand and no sooner had he done so she woke up. As he talked, he watched as she sat up and as her face changed from having just woken up to frightened. He cut himself off as her head hit his chest.

"I was so scared...!" Came Selia's shaky whisper, her body trembling. "Someone was after me... After my life-!" The tears began to flow, the first time since she had arrived at the temple, and the first time in years.

As kids back on the ranch, Clay's room was down the hall from Jesse's, and back when they got along well, the good ol' days, late at night when Jesse had nightmares she'd hurry to Clay's room and pounce into his bed, startling him awake. She'd relay the bad dreams to him and he'd hug her while she did, resting his chin on top of her head, calming her sobs. At first hesitant, Clay found himself automatically wrapped his arms around Selia's trembling figure when the tears began to flow, resting his chin on top of her head, and just quietly listened to her sobs. Soon, Selia's tears stopped, and after awhile Clay realized that she had fallen back to sleep.

"An' just when I was about t' fall asleep m'self," Clay quietly chuckled. And like when Jesse would cry herself to sleep, Clay placed Selia back in her futon and silently grabbed the Reversing Mirror. 'Let's just hope that she'll sleep peacef'lly, along with th' rest of us...' The cowboy thought as he went back to bed, giving but a glance over his shoulder to make sure the blind girl was sound asleep. 'An' I hope this won' lead t' an awkward mornin' t'morrow...'

* * *

Author's Notes: Not too many drastic changes to this chapter, since this one came around later on. Also, I'm just happy with how it was set up and the scene I had occur between Clay and Selia, especially the flashback to Clay and Jesse's childhood ^_^

C&C are always welcome, R&R even better. Let me know what you're thinking ^_~


	7. Sleeping Dragons Awaken?

Fanfiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 7: Sleeping Dragons... Awaken?

* * *

"Uhn..." Moaned Selia, waking up the next morning. She forced herself to sit up, so that she didn't fall back asleep which she was liable to do. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed that something was different. She couldn't figure it out at first, as she checked her bed for any foreign objects, felt around her bed on the floor, and ran her hand through her hair, but as her sleeve brushed against her face it became obvious. Her clothes had an unfamiliar smell to them. Confused, she tried to remember what could've caused this. After meditating she had practically passed out. Then the nightmarish visions returned. She shuddered. She remembered a hand reaching out to pull her out, but whatever happened after that was a blank to her.

"Guess I must've been in a cold sweat..." Selia muttered to herself, grabbing her towel and Xiaolin robes to change into. Finding her shoes she slipped them on, and with towel and robes in hand she left her room and headed for the showers. It was dawn outside, the dew still heavily coating the grass, the sun just beginning to rise and warm Selia's face. From the sound of the sleeping quarters Selia assumed that she was the only dragon awake, so she enjoyed her walk outside. As she neared the building where the showers were she went to turn the corner when too little too late she heard footsteps, and so she and the other early bird collided into each other and fell into a heap on the floor.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! I'm so sorry-!" Selia began to say, rubbing her head, but a laugh stopped her mid-apology. "Clay?"

"G'morning yerself," Replied the cowboy with a smile in his voice. "Thought I was th' only early ris'r 'round here,"

"Dang, you're up before dawn?" She asked, the throb in her head subsiding.

"Ev'ry mornin' back on th' ranch," Clay told her, standing up then lending her a helping hand. His hand was warm and soft from the shower, moisture still clinging to his skin. "How're y' feelin' this mornin'?"

"Just fine, thanks." She replied, not picking up on the meaning behind the question. Clay noticed this and concluded that she forgot about the episode from the night before and just smiled.

"That's good t' hear," Clay said, before stretching and popping his knuckles. "Well, I'm gonna head back n' finish gettin' ready fer th' day. An' be caref'l 'bout the water this mornin'. Keeps switchin' b'tween hot 'n cold without any warnin'," And with that Clay walked past and headed back to his room.

"Thanks for the warning," She said and hurried off to the showers. She found the showers and climbed in, letting the soothing water rush over her face. Just as Clay warned, the water flickered between warm and freezing, or warm and boiling hot. She'd have to let Master Fung know the pipes were acting up. Drying off and changing into her clean robes, she returned back to her room to discover the delectable aroma of bacon in the air. Her stomach growling, Selia decided breakfast was a wise decision and headed to the kitchen, braiding her still damp hair while she walked.

"Is that breakfast I smell?" Selia asked, turning the corner through the doorway and into the kitchen.

"'Reckon it is," Clay said in greeting, busy with frying bacon while avoiding the popping grease.

"Who wants pancakes?" Dojo called out, the gecko-sized dragon having fun being cook-for-the-morning.

"Pancakes sound delicious, Dojo," Selia said with a laugh. "Since when do you cook breakfast?"

"Oh, no reason," Dojo replied, as he poured some pancake batter into the pan and straightened his little chef hat and tugged on the edge of his "Kiss the Wu" apron. Soon the other dragons-in-training trickled into the kitchen, still sleepy-eyed and dazed.

"Dude, did you HAVE to make so much bacon?" Raimundo muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"If ev'ryone plans on gettin' some, yeah, I reckon I had to," Clay said, annoyed that his preparing breakfast was greeted with ingratitude. This went unnoticed by the others as Dojo slithered over and plopped down a platter heaped with pancakes. "Breakfast is served!"

Everyone dove in and served themselves, well, everyone except Selia. She wasn't sure where everything was on the table, so she just sat in her seat and waited, embarrassed to ask for help. 'Sometimes I hate being blind...' She thought to herself. Noticing this, Dojo slithered over to her side and grabbed a fork.

"One pancake or two?" He asked her. Selia snapped her head up in his direction and, though surprised at first, smiled. "Two, please."

"And I'll just drizzle the syrup and dice it up for ya!" And Dojo did just that. Breaking out a sharp knife, he had at it, and when he was done he placed the fork in Selia's right hand. "Bon appetit,"

"An' here's a few slabs of bacon for ya," Clay added, placing a couple pieces of the delicious meat on her plate. She smiled sheepishly and said "Thanks, guys..." As Selia began to eat, Master Fung quietly walked in.

"Good morning, young monks," He said, observing the table and the monks seated at it. "I hope you are rested and ready for your day ahead. For today, your skills you have honed and improved on will be put towards a new technique I will be teaching you today." Omi jumped up at hearing this.

"Ooooh, a new technique? I shall be the one to fully master it_ first_, Master Fung!" Omi boasted loudly, practically bouncing off the walls in excitement.

"Cocky much?" Raimundo growled at Omi, not in the mood for Omi's overconfident attitude and narcissism that morning.

"There is no reason for celebrating and boasting, Omi," Master Fung scolded in his masterful way. "For this new technique is going to be unique and challenging in its own way for each of you on an individual level." This stopped the self-centered monk in his tracks. Now seeing that he had everyone's attention, Master Fung continued. "Now, finish your breakfast and meet me in the meditation hall." With that, Master Fung left.

"I wonder what that was all about." Kimiko mused as she finished reapplying her lipstick before she took care of her dishes.

"Whatever it is, the Fung-ster is being really serious about it," said Raimundo, already washing his dishes.

"Well then, if you're so anxious to find out, get to the meditation hall already!" Dojo quipped from his perch around Selia's neck and shoulders. The blind monk took a few last bites and was about to make her way to the sink when her dishes disappeared out of her hands.

"I've got it, Selia," assured Clay as he took the dishes to the sink.

"Thank, Clay," She said sheepishly as she found the wall and leaned against it. Once Clay was finished with the dishes, the two of them and Dojo went and caught up with the others in the meditation hall. They took their positions on the floor with their legs crossed, awaiting instruction. Master Fung opened his eyes and looked at his students.

"My young monks, today we will begin the long process of mastering your new skill that is going to be developed here in this meditation hall." He told them, beginning to pace in front of them from one end to the other of their line. "I will not tell you it is going to be easy. You will be frustrated, you will trip over yourselves and each other as you master to become..." and it was here that Master Fung paused, before casting his gaze over his five monks.

"Dragons."

"Whoa, whoa whoa! Hold on a sec!" said Raimundo loudly. "I thought that we already ARE dragons? Y'know, in title?"

"In TRAINING!" Dojo smartly remarked, wagging a finger at the Dragon of the Wind.

"Just as Dojo said," Master Fung agreed with a nod. "Dragons in training, title only. But, you're not fully comprehending what I'm saying, Raimundo," And with this, Master Fung reached into his sleeve. Everyone watched intently, though all Selia could do was strain her ears. The master monk pulled forth the Whirlpool Necklace, and held it in his right hand. "Omi, please step forward." He beckoned to the bald monk. Nothing but boastful smiles, Omi jumped up and flipped, quite literally, over to Master Fung's side.

"What is the task I am to accomplish today, Master Fung? For whatever it is, I shall exceed any expectations!" Omi said eagerly. The master refrained from sighing as he began to speak.

"I want you to summon the powers of the Whirlpool Necklace-"

"But Master Fung! That is already an effortless task! Even Raimundo can-!" Omi interrupted, but was just as promptly cut off by the master.

"Omi, if you'd allow me to finish my sentence, you would find yourself wiser in the long run..." Master Fung clearly stated to the young monk.

"Oh... I am terribly sorry, Master Fung..." And the little monk bowed low. "Please, do continue,"

"Omi, take the Whirlpool Necklace and summon its powers _without_ saying its name aloud." He directed the monk.

Now, you can just imagine the look of stupor on poor little Omi's face. Who had ever heard of such a task being accomplished? And how did one even begin to ponder how to complete such an assignment? The confused Chinese monk just stared at the Whirlpool necklace now in his hands, dumbfounded. The others sitting on the sidelines had been ready to snicker at his failure due to his earlier display of confidence, but when they heard what was being asked of them, they had second thoughts about laughing.

"Now, I want the rest of you to practice with the Star Hanabi, the Sword of the Storm, Third-Arm Sash, and the Two-Ton Tunic." said Master Fung, handing these Wu to the following monks respectively: Kimiko, Raimundo, Clay and Selia. "And I strongly suggest that you work your hardest to concentrate and be diligent in your assignments," With that, the master left the meditation hall, leaving behind a group of stumped monks.

* * *

A Few Minutes Later...

* * *

"GYAH-!" A frustrated Raimundo shouted as he threw the Sword of the Storm into the ground of the outdoor training area. "How the HECK are we suppose to figure this out without even ONE HINT from the old man?" He complained, throwing himself onto the ground. Kimiko sat herself down next to the frustrated Dragon of Wind, tossing the Star Hanabi between her hands.

"Rai's right. How're we supposed to figure this out on our own?" She said with dismay, staring at the Wu in her hands. The cowboy took a seat on the ground, glaring at a limp Third-Arm Sash around his waist, while Omi was diligently meditating, balanced on his head, the Whirlpool Necklace in hand. "I'm just not seeing it..." Kimiko's words were greeted with a giggle. Surprised, she looked up and around for the source of the laughter, and found it to be Selia. "And what's so funny?" she asked, irritation in her voice.

"It's- It's just funny that you said that," Selia replied back with a smile, trying to quell her giggling. "'Seeing it' you say... But is that really what you need to do?" was her simple statement. The monks were puzzled at this, and just looked at each other, confused. The blind monk had gotten to her feet and steadied herself, holding a very limp Two-Ton Tunic in her hands while they'd exchanged glances. "You know, it's our chi that activates the Wu," she said matter-of-factly.

"How do you say you know such a thing?" Omi had snapped out of his mediation at her statement and was back on his feet, challenging her words. "The Shen-Gong-Wu are magical, mysterious, and ancient artifacts that grant us power when we summon them by name! Even the ancient scrolls don't explain how they work!" Selia was taken aback by Omi's explosion on her, and she took a step back while he had continued his rant.

"Hey, hey, hey! Omi, chill out!" Raimundo told the little monk as he picked him up effortlessly. "Don't take your frustration out on others!"

"I am NOT!" Omi snapped back, feigning a kick at Raimundo's head, which he blocked. "I just do not understand how anyone can know that-!"

"I've felt it." Selia interrupted Omi, bowing her head as if to look at the Two-Ton Tunic that she was fidgeting with in her hands. This caught everyone's attention. "W-... Well... When I went into a showdown against that Jack kid, and I summoned the Gills of Hamachi, it felt as if my chi was flowing into it... And the shape that I felt the Gills of Hamachi to be was the form my chi flowed into..."

"So what yer sayin' is, that we should try an' manipulate our chi int' th' shape of the Wu?" Clay asked for clarification, looking down at the Third-Arm Sash around his waist.

"Um... Yes...?" said Selia, uncertain.

"Well then, let's give it a try," He said to the others, sitting down on the ground Indian-style. The others just looked at him skeptically as he meditated, and reluctantly sat down, just watching the Dragon of Earth do what he was best at: meditate.

"Wow, isn't THIS exciting?" Raimundo grumbled after a short while. Clay just blew his comments off, keeping his concentration. Suddenly the Third-Arm Sash began to glow, and it moved slightly, moving its tassels like fingers. "WHOA! What the-?" Raimundo cried out in surprise, breaking Clay's concentration.

"Darn it, Rai! I 'bout had it, too!" Clay growled, frustrated.

"But Clay, you have proven Selia's words to be true!" Omi exclaimed. "That means that..."

"You were wrong, Chrome-Dome," said Rai, rubbing it in.

"Quit fighting you guys, and let's get started on mastering this!" Kimiko scolded the boys as she started to concentrate on the Star of Hanabi. Selia just smiled and sat back down on the ground, now that her need to inform was over, and slipped the Two-Ton Tunic over her head.

* * *

Author's notes: Again, not much changing in this one, as this was onea the last few chapters I wrote before deciding to rework this series. The next chapter will be the first without the word "REWORKED" in its title ^_~


	8. The Aerial Ace

Fan fiction: Xiaolin Showdown © Christy Hui

Chapter 8: The Aerial Ace

* * *

By the end of the day, everyone had managed to make their Shen Gong Wu react to their chi, some more successful than others. Clay was sporting a black eye from the Third Arm Sash lashing up at him while Kimiko's hair was a tad singed from the Star of Hanabi's misfiring. Selia had managed to get the Two-Ton Tunic to react, but only sections of the tunic would activate and cause her to topple from one side to the other unexpectedly. She sported more than a few bruises and scrapes for her efforts. Those with the most success had been Omi and Raimundo. Rai had summoned up the powers of the Sword of the Storm to create a strong gust, while Omi's water element was able to form and stay in a concentrated sphere. To say the least, these monks were all chi-ed out. After sleepily munching on their supper of pork and rice, they passed out as soon as their heads hit the pillow and were not to stir 'til morn.

But not all were peacefully resting this night…

Things were already going afoul deep within the recesses of a mountainside mansion. The slumbering monks were under careful observance by a set of cruel eyes familiar to our warriors. The particular moment he was viewing were the dreams of a few of the monks at a time using the Shadow of Fear in his possession. Chase Young, although a genius in his own right, the feared villain that he was, continued to struggle with how to separate the accursed Dragon of Chi from the others. She was influencing them far too much towards their greatest potential. He'd toyed with the idea of creating a crisis back at her home, it was simple enough. But news travelled too slow for it to have an immediate impact. So for the past few weeks he'd been monitoring the monks in their daily interactions closely, trying to spot any weak bonds, or possibly strong enough to be manipulated.

"But what to do and how to do so tastefully…?" He mused, as he watched a scene from Selia's dream. Her dreams made little sense to an outside observer at first: her views of the world were far from what one expected. Since she had no sight of the actual world after her childhood, she made things up. This scene consisted of her talking to some boy in a hat. He stared at the dream for awhile, trying his best to figure out who the boy was. His reptilian eyes widen with realization as he saw the boy was dressed in similar garb as her and, although the colors and style were different, they were distinctly the robes the monks wore.

"So she fancies the lumbering fool in the group? Either that or trusts him enough as a friend…" Chase trailed off, his eyes staring past the dream in front of him, deep in thought. He continued to stroke the head of one of his lion warriors with his right hand, cupping his chin in the other. In an instant the mind of the evil mastermind clicked, and everything fell into place. A wicked smile spread across his usually placid face, gold reptilian eyes sharpened as his fangs seemed to lengthen just a tad.

"Perfect… But should it be short and abrupt, like a stab to the heart? Or slow and painful, to make her really hurt…?" Chase's eyes focused back on the dream: it had changed. Selia was back in that field he'd intruded on last time, but this time with the boy wearing the hat, talking with him while sitting on the grass. The wicked smile returned.

"Slow and painful it is…" He almost purred as he snapped his fingers. Two tiger servants walked up, carrying the Yin and Yang yoyos on a pillow…

* * *

A few weeks later…

* * *

"Lightning Shard!" Jack shouted over the roar of the wind, temporarily freezing time. He panted, catching his breath, the Lightning Shard clutched tightly in one hand, Monkey Staff in the other, held in front of his face reflexively. Why's that? Well, just before calling upon the Wu, Jack was looking forward to a Fist of Tebigonging to the face, courtesy of the country bumpkin. The showdown had gotten ridiculous, at least from this Boy Genius' perspective. The day had started out so well, too…

That morning had led to near completion of his two month project: the perfect pudding cup maker. If it hadn't been for Wuya shooting straight through his chest, practically stopping his heart, he would've been enjoying banana-flavored pudding cups along with whatever other flavor he desired to his hearts content! She'd been shrieking about some new wind-based Shen Gong Wu and wouldn't leave him in peace until they'd left for the tundras of Africa. The ride in his low-altitude flight vehicle wasn't short enough with Wuya babbling on and on about this Aerial Ace Wu. The only thing that caught his attention was the possibility of using its abilities for flight over short distances. That'd definitely make trips to the local evil genius market a lot more fun, let alone impressive!

Sure, finding the Wu wasn't all that difficult, but as usual the Xiaolin Losers were there, ready to rob him of what was rightfully his for the taking. This Aerial Ace was contained in a box, one similar to the puzzle box he solved that released the intangible nuisance that was always following him around. He had no idea what the Aerial Ace looked like, but it HAD to be good! So, making a mad-dash for it, Jack jumped and reached out to get it, but Kimiko beat him to it. She'd kicked it out of the way elegantly and sent the box flying straight towards her annoying teammates. The box flew over the blind girl's head, and was caught by the Brazilian kid. Jack activated his HeliPack and took off into the air, swooping in on the Brazilian and snatched back the box.

"Hah! Looks like all your training is no match for my MAD skills, Xiaolin Loooosers!" Jack gave his rather witty taunt, and with a brandish of his cape he set off for home… Until that cowboy grabbed hold of the HeliPack and dragged him back to earth rather forcefully. Jack lost grip of the box. He quickly reached out for it. It glowed.

"Aw man!" Jack groaned. A showdown was the LAST thing he wanted! Especially against anyone that wasn't Kimiko… So much for celebrating with pudding cups over a clean get-away.

And back to the big picture: Jack was in a Xiaolin Showdown with Clay Bailey, Jack wagering the Monkey Staff and Clay the Fist of Tebigong. Jack had obviously cheated by grabbing the Shard of Lightning to buy himself some time. The goal of this showdown was to knock your opponent out of the ring. A few problems, though: thanks to the magic of the Xiaolin Showdown, the showdown ring turned into a pillar hundreds of yards up in the sky during a freak desert storm that was amped up to the max. Jack knew he was no match against an ox like Clay, so like he always did he reverted back to his "Evil Boy Genius" ways of thinking. Taking advantage of this frozen moment in time, Jack chuckled while relocating Clay on the pillar right to the edge, Clay's momentum aimed for off of the pillar. Just as Jack finished this, the effects of the Shard of Lightning wore off and real time continued its course.

Clay found himself suddenly tumbling off of the pillar's edge and flailing desperately. He called upon the Fist of Tebigong with all his might, his Chi flowing into it. The Fist of Tebigong did something it hadn't ever done before: it unclenched its fist and got a vice grip on the rocky ledge, saving Clay from the tumble. Clay quietly thanked Master Fung for all of the hard days spent training those past weeks to get in tune with his chi, taking note to tell the master this later. Swinging for momentum, Clay caught his leg on the ledge and pulled himself up. Meanwhile Jack was dumbstruck with what he just witnessed with the Fist of Tebigong, and upon further reflection, without the country bumpkin saying a word! As Jack realized the cowboy was back up on his feet, he had two words of his own to say:

"Uh-oh…"

"Fist of TEBIgong!" Clay shouted and the punch sent the monkey boy sailing. As the monkey shrieks and screams of Jack faded the further he fell down, the showdown came to a close, and everything reverted back to normal. Clay straightened his hat with one hand, the won Shen Gong Wu appearing in his other. Clay wasn't that bad off, aside from some sore muscles and bruising from his last minute save. The Fist of Tebigong still on his hand, the Aerial Ace in its box and the Monkey Staff nestled in his arm, Clay was beaming. A couple of yards off, Jack could be seen as a rather odd-looking pancake in the ground. Least to say, he'd left quite an impression.

"You FOOOOOOL!" shrieked Wuya at the less than graceful Boy Genius as he forced himself out of the Jack-shaped hole in the ground. "WHY did you freeze at such a critical moment? You could've shoved him off the last INCH! Victory was OUUUURS!" she howled, punching her intangible fists through Jack's head.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop it, I'm getting a migraine!" Whined the pasty redhead, brushing dirt and what grass stains he could from his coveted cape. He threw a dirty glare in the direction of the Xiaolin Warriors, most pointedly at Clay whose back was to him. 'He pulled a trick out there himself… I know it!' he thought darkly, the boy genius overlooking the fact of his blatant cheating, of course. Feeling that he had no need to be here any more, Jack activated his HeliPack and headed back home, looking forward to pudding cups and finding ways to shut Wuya up.

"Dude! That was a close one!" Raimundo said in reference to Clay's lucky save. "How'd you manage that one?"

"Was nothin', really. Th' Fist of Tebigong did most of th' work," The cowboy shied away from the compliment. "I just acted on th' fly and th' Wu opened its fist, grabbin' hold of th' edge. Gotta be grateful fer all th' Chi trainin'." Clay said, giving a chuckle.

"No need to be so modest," said Selia, using her carved walking stick as her guide. It bumped into Clay's boot and she reached out to find his shoulder for a playful punch. "You've been training close to night and day to get to where you are."

"Yes, Clay has put forth much effort," Omi complimented. "It's too bad that he doesn't possess angry skills like I do!" Raimundo wasn't even going to bother correcting the little monk at this point. "For I can unlock the power of ANY Shen Gong Wu with a handshake!"

"I'm thinking that was 'a wave of my hand,' but I'm not all that sure…" Selia giggled. She was currently examining the Aerial Ace with her hands, feeling the design carved into the box. "So, is this box the Aerial Ace or is it just for show?"

"Let me see," said Kimiko, grabbing the puzzle box. "Looks kinda like the puzzle box Rai used to seal Wuya, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, except it's already locked up." Raimundo noted, having snatched the box away from Kimiko. "Wonder how we're gonna open it?"

"Jack Spicer was the one who opened Wuya's puzzle box the first time, maybe we can ask him to do the same for us." was Kimiko's suggestion.

"But so did Katnappe the second time around," Raimundo combated back with. "Besides, we haven't even tried it ourselves yet."

"Alright kids, let's get back to the temple!" Dojo cut in, inflating himself to his natural size. "We'll solve this puzzle box later; probably look through the scrolls in the records room for some help." And with that, everyone mounted Dojo's back and flew back for home.

* * *

Once at the Xiaolin Temple

* * *

"Ok everybody, let's work on this puzzle box!" Raimundo urged the others, he being the most eager to unlock the Aerial Ace. No one could blame him: it was the Wu specialized for his element. Everyone had gathered inside one of the many meditation halls due to the heavy rainstorm that had picked up since their return. The five monks sat down in a circle and took turns at trying to open the puzzle box. After the puzzle box's third trip around the circle, Selia had it and she decided to try a different approach than the others: she tried activating the Wu from inside the box with her chi. She came across something blocking her chi's flow. Puzzled, she tried to explore as far as her chi would reach.

"That's odd…" she muttered.

"What's up, Selia?" said Clay.

"The puzzle box is stopping my chi from flowing into it," she said, becoming frustrated. "I know where my chi needs to weave through, but there's some kind of barrier… Like it doesn't want my chi to go there…"

"Let me have a go at it," said Clay. Box in hand, he closed his eyes to concentrate and found the same problem occurring with his chi. "Hmm… Maybe our chi isn' th' right kind of chi this Wu is wantin'…" He speculated aloud. He looked across the circle at Rai and a light flicked on. "Rai, how 'bout you try it next?" Without waiting for a response Clay tossed the box over to Rai.

"Hey! Watch it!" Raimundo retorted, barely catching the box before it knocked him in the head. "Why would it like my chi?"

"Jus' try it, Rai," Clay said, egging the Brazilian monk on.

"Whatever, man," He shrugged, and furrowed his brow as he studied the puzzle box. He concentrated on manifesting his chi into a thread and sent it into the box. Things began to happen quickly. The puzzle box took in his chi greedily and the thread speedily zipped through the chi-based maze inside. Before Raimundo could understand what was going on the puzzle box began to shake and glow, and cracks began to open all over the box. The parts of the puzzle box flew apart, surprising everyone as they reflexively shielded their faces with their arms. Once the debris stopped flying, Raimundo braved opening his eyes and glanced under his arms at the floor. He was rather surprised at what he saw.

"A ribbon…" he said, dumbfounded. "The Aerial Ace… is a ribbon…?"

"Now I wouldn't be callin' it a 'ribbon,' per say… More like a headband," said Clay. He reached out to pick up the Aerial Ace. "Though I gotta agree; I was expectin' somethin' more of a whoop an' a hollar than this…" He studied the Aerial Ace, noting its coloration. Its background was the color of the sky, though slightly faded over its many centuries of existence. Purple lines swooping down the Aerial Ace dyed in the style Chinese artists would depict the clouds and gusting wind in ancient minimalist paintings. The ends were tailored with dragons in the design. He handed the Aerial Ace back to Raimundo and smiled. "Looks like we got us another elemental Wu in our arsenal."

"Yeah, but what does it do?" Raimundo raised an eyebrow at the so-called ribbon in his hands. "Should I just ties ribbons in my hair and see what happens?" That got giggles from everyone.

"Then let us go out and give it a circle!" said Omi, getting up on his feet in a flash.

"We can't go out and give it a spin, Omi. It's still raining outside," Kimiko reminded the short monk. "We'll try it out in the morning."

"We should lock it up in the Wu vault, then," said Selia, these being unexpected words coming from her. "Y'know, just incase… Jack might come back for it…?" The silence she was greeted with was rather unsettling.

"There's no reason to worry about that accident-prone geek," Kimiko scoffed. "I mean, what's the worst he could do to us? Throw puddings cup-making robots in our general direction?

* * *

Jack was moping around eating his beloved pudding cups. To make himself feel better, Jack reviewed some of his blue-prints and concept designs to decide on his next project, all the while Wuya was doing her best to make his life as miserable as possible. As Jack slipped on his headphones to block out Wuya's ranting and raving, he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Suspicious, he sat up slightly and looked to his right where the suspected movement had been. There was nothing there. Wary, Jack slowly settled himself back into his chair and gave one last glance around the room before returning his attention to his plans on the table

"Good evening, Spicer," Jack nearly hit the ceiling when he jumped at hearing the cold, powerful voice of Chase Young next to his right ear.

"GYAH-A-HA-? C-Ch-Ch-Chase?" Jack peered at him from under his chair, having somehow managed to get himself UNDER there after initially hearing Chase Young speak not two seconds before. Chase did his best to hide his disgust at the pathetic worm of an 'evil' genius.

"I have a proposition for you…" Chase began, his tone its usual nonchalant, with a hint of that tone indicating he was giving Jack a chance to prove himself worthy of being in his presence. Hearing this Jack got himself upright and out from under the chair quicker than you could say "fanboy" and was as close to Chase's side as he could get, which was about five feet away.

"How may I be of assistance to you, Chase…?" said Spicer, eager but nervous. Last time Chase asked for his presence in a plan he'd failed miserably and about got himself fed to the lions even though Chase managed to get it all to work out. It was like Chase Young _expected_ him to fail each time, so he had a plan B in the wings. This time he was making sure he didn't fail his idol.

"A minor Wu will be activating soon, and whether you get it or not is of no importance to me," Chase began, slowly walking around the cluttered table as Jack stood stock still, not daring to even breath as Chase walked past him. "All that I ask of you is to make sure a showdown occurs, and that it happens…" He trailed off, before pulling out the Yin-Yang Yoyos. "In the Yin-Yang World."

Jack shuddered at the thought. The Yin-Yang World was such a bizarre place, and if he lost even one of the yoyos, he'd come out as a goody-two-shoes and he HATED that polar opposite version of himself. But this was Chase Young, and he'd make sure Jack wouldn't be trapped in that realm, right?

"What's in it for _us_, Chase Young?" Wuya said after getting over the initial shock of this formidable fair-weather ally showing up out of nowhere.

Chase eyed the incorporeal hag as he mulled over an appropriate response.

"Should Spicer succeed in this task I have set before him, I promise you several powerful Shen Gong Wu, such as the Golden Tiger Claws, the Shard of Lightning and the Reversing Mirror. Sadly, I won't be providing you the Serpent's Tail any time soon…" was the offer he presented, a wicked smile on his face.

"But both the Shard of Lightning and the Reversing Mirror are in possession of the monks!" Wuya said in protest. "How will-?"

"You DARE question my generous offer, witch?" roared Chase Young, causing both Wuya and Jack to shrink back, Jack practically under the table once more. Quickly composing himself, the immortal sighed and set the two yoyos on the table. "You know I'm a man of my word, Wuya. Keep your end of the deal, Spicer, and you'll soon possess the powerful Shen Gong Wu I have offered in exchange for your services, should you perform this simple task flawlessly…" and as if to prove his point, Chase pulled out the Golden Tiger Claws and let the light sheen off of them. "But, should you fail me…" he accentuated 'fail' with a swipe of the Golden Tiger Claws, ripping open a rift to who knows where. With one final glance at the shaken boy, Chase stepped into the rip and disappeared.

Jack forced himself to stand back up, knees wobbly. The Yin and Yang yoyos complimenting each other so well just sitting there on his desk.

"Whatever you're up to, Chase, I'm more than willing to help if it means I can get back at those Xiaolin Losers…!" he said with growing confidence. Picking up the yoyos, a smile crept across the boy genius' face, and he couldn't help but break out into his signature evil laugh. Though this time, it definitely sounded less silly and more sinister as Wuya joined in.

* * *

Author's Notes: And thus we end on a cliffhanger with chapter 8 – the first original chapter in a long while! Finally done rewriting, now I can focus on writing some new material! Please let me know what you think – R&R, C&C. Look forward to chapter 9, coming as soon as I can between work, school, and life ^_~


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